Yellowstone Lake

[CaspersCruiser]

Has anybody spent time on Yellowstone Lake in a Ranger Tug/Cutwater? I love Yellowstone National Park and have done several backpacking trips there. I flew a trip to Portland, Oregon this afternoon and went by Yellowstone NP on the way and thought it might be a nice stop on a swing through the west with my R27 on the trailer hitting various bodies of water after I retire.

 

[JamesTXSD]

You can make it a grand tour - Yellowstone Lake, south to Jackson Lake in Teton National Park, continue south to Flaming Gorge, then the real granddaddy of the western lakes: Lake Powell. We have done all those in the past, and it is some great cruising. Yellowstone has a nice marina with transient slips at Bridge Bay. The water is cold, and ice doesn't generally go off the lake until late May (7,800' elevation). The slips there have power and water, but there are no marina shower facilities (you can drive to Fishing Bridge).

Some parts of Yellowstone Lake (the southern fingers) are for hand-propelled craft only. There are regulations about speed near shore and limitations on where you can go ashore with your boat or anchor. That said, Yellowstone is spectacular, and (IMHO) the marina and lake are under-utilized.

For even more gorgeous scenery, it is a short jaunt by trailer south to Jackson Lake, where Colter Bay Marina opens up to a breath-taking view of the Tetons.

So worth the trailering effort it takes to get there.

 

[CaspersCruiser]

Most of my Yellowstone trips have been in September— crowds are down, bugs are gone, weather is nice. That will most likely be my plan. I was also wondering about Jackson Lake, but forgot to mention it. The Tetons are spectacular! And Lake Powell is on my list.

 

[knotflying]

We did four days on Yellowstone Lake in early June. The Marina was a nice spot. We did a cruise around the Lake one day and we spent the other days driving around each of the loops. Driving around very early in the morning has some great animal sighting advantages. It is difficult to contact the marina early in the season for reservations, but I eventually got through to reserve a spot. Make sure your bottom is clean and free of any barnacles etc. They will inspect the boat before launching, so no need to let them see anything suspicious. If the boat was in salt water prior to launching that is a bonus since there is no fear of bringing contaminant spices into the lake. After inspection you will get a sticker to put on the hull. Keep it on after you leave, it helps if you are in need of an inspection at a subsequent launch.

 

[Rodeo]

We kept our Ranger25 in the marina for two years. Wonderful docks and very protected from all weather. Early in the season it may be necessary to take down your radar to clear the bridge depending on how the snowmelt is raising water levels. In the last several years I have never seen the marina at more than about 50% occupancy, so it is very easy to drop in without a reservation. There are a number of back country overnight anchorages that are available on a reservation system that are truly spectacular and very private. The marina usually closes the second week in September and opens when the ice goes out, usually by Memorial Day, but this year who knows.

 

[DBBRanger]

I second all that has been said. The marina at Yellowstone is a great place to hang out - centrally located in the park so it is easy to see the whole park by car also. It's also a lot cheaper than staying in a full service campground. But be aware, the marina closes around the 9th of September. Otherwise, I think it's pretty easy to get reservations at any time. You must reserve anchorages for overnight stays on the lake - reservations are harder to get on a moments notice.

As Jim (the expert for the area) said, Jackson Lake is spectacular, but getting a transient slip is difficult - there are only a few. It's pretty easy to find an anchorage near Colter Bay. We saw the full eclipse at anchorage with hardly anyone around us - it was spectacular. I like the ramp at Leek's marina better than that at Colter Bay although it isn't perfect either.

PM me if you want more details.

Doug